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Overview

Dr. Findlay's research interests encompass characterization and microbial assimilation of dissolved organic carbon in aquatic ecosystems, delivery of carbon from terrestrial to aquatic ecosystems, carbon and nutrient processing in tidal wetlands and ecosystem functions mediated by submerged aquatic vegetation. He has been conducting research on the Hudson River ecosystem for over eighteen years, and is interested in watershed restoration issues as well as a variety of approaches to making scientific information more useful for ecosystem management.

We have carried out a diversity of small and mesocosm-scale experiments, in conjunction with regionally distributed field sampling, to assess when the composition of stream benthic bacterial communities corresponds with differences in stream metabolic activities.

Beds of water celery (Vallisneria americana) and other plants are widespread in the Hudson River, and play several important ecological functions. These beds contain a diverse invertebrate community, which may serve as a major source of food to the river's fish.

Submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) is an important habitat in the Hudson River. We have investigated a wide range of functions in SAV beds including maintenance of high dissolved oxygen, effects on suspended sediment, and habitat value.

Carbon released from terrestrial ecosystems is an important source of organic matter in most streams, lakes and rivers. In the Hudson River there has been a doubling in concentration of dissolved organic carbon over the past 15 years.

For three decades, our scientists have been researching the Hudson River ecosystem– from the way shoreline development impacts water quality to how invasive species influence resident plants and animals. As a result, the Hudson is the most scientifically scrutinized river in the world.